Joseph Witte

World War I

Joseph Witte was born in Templeton on February 17, 1888 to John and Theresia (Janse) Witte. His father was a carpenter. His mother was born in Germany and emigrated to the US as a small child. Joseph Witte followed his father’s footsteps and worked as a carpenter.

When the US joined the fighting in World War 1 in 1917, Joseph was unmarried and, although he was 29 years old, was designated as a group A inductee. He enlisted in the US Army in Carroll on July 26, 1918. He, along with other Carroll County boys, were transported through Camp Dodge near Des Moines to Camp Gordon near Atlanta, Georgia. He was assigned serial number 4006935.

After receiving limited basic training, Joseph was assigned to the “September Automatic Replacement Draft #5” along with at least three other Templeton boys. These troops were to be transferred to other units already in Europe to replace killed or wounded soldiers. Joseph’s unit was then transported to Camp Merritt, New Jersey to prepare for their voyage to Europe.

Based on a review of ship’s logs, Joseph and his unit boarded the USS Mercury for their transit across the Atlantic Ocean. This ship was a passenger liner that had previously been owned by a German company and called the “Barbarossa.” It was seized by the US government when war was declared. It needed several repairs to fix damage done by its German crew before the seizure. It was refitted as a troop ship and all enlisted men were berthed in third class accommodations.

The ship left Hoboken, NJ on September 9, 1918 in a convoy with destroyer escort. Course changes and evasive maneuvers were made as a result of numerous U-boat sightings. USS Mercury finally arrived at Brest, France on September 21, 1918. Once in France, Joseph was assigned to the 157th Depot Brigade in the 60th Infantry Regiment. This unit was part of the 5th Division of the US Army. The 157th Depot Brigade was responsible for receiving, organizing and equipping troops.

The primary combat action that Joseph would have been involved in would have been the Meuse-Argonne offensive that effectively ended World War 1. The initial stage of the offensive started in late September, 2018 and culminated in the end of hostilities on November 11, 1918. The action was in far northeast France near the borders with Germany and Belgium. The 60th Infantry Regiment was heavily involved in this offensive.

As with all troops, Joseph’s unit was involved in the occupation of European areas after the fighting ceased. He left Europe from the port of St. Nazaire, France on May 27, 1919 aboard the “Wilhelmina.” The manifest includes him with a group of “Sick and Wounded” soldiers. He arrived back in the US on June 7, 1919 at Newport News, Virginia but was not discharged as was typical. Rather he was not discharged until December 9, 1919 from Bunell, Colorado.

Bunell, Colorado is not currently a legitimate address. It was, however, an address from 1919 to 1921 near Aurora, Colorado and the location of Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. This facility had been built by the US Army during the war to treat the large number of casualties from chemical weapons. All of these facts suggest that Joseph had been exposed to poison gas which was commonplace in numerous battles including the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

Joseph returned to Templeton in December, 1919 and resumed his career as a carpenter. He never married and passed away in Templeton on September 16, 1945 at the age of 57.